


Pains of the Heart

by StarTokki



Series: 153 Ways To Say I Love You [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Injured Character, Light Angst, M/M, gaming shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-04 12:24:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17304575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarTokki/pseuds/StarTokki
Summary: A movement in his peripheral drags him out of his internal musings, and he looks up at his door only to find nothing there. He waits for a moment before attempting to reach for his phone, only to stop again when there’s movement in the corner of his eye.“Uh. Hello,” Donghyuck calls out questioningly, brows furrowing in confusion.No one’s supposed to be around right now, and he can hear the dorm auntie shuffling about upstairs. He waits for another moment, then another just to make sure, before shrugging his shoulders and reaching for his phone again.





	Pains of the Heart

[  _ Breaking  _ ] NCT 127 and NCT Dream member Haechan to sit out of activities due to an injury.

 

—

 

He really didn’t mean for things to end up like this, but accidents happen and no level of precaution could have prevented this. It could’ve happened to literally any one of them so Donghyuck tries not to beat himself up too much over it, but it’s hard not to feel useless when he’s bedridden and has to watch his members perform without him.

 

The timing is what hurts the most. 

 

For him to get injured and have to sit out right before the year-end shows, causing everyone to adjust and re-learn the choreography in order to fill in the gap his absence leaves behind, is what makes him feel the worst. Especially when a few of the performances were supposed to be huge milestones for some of them; the last performances with Mark as an official member of NCT Dream, and the last performance of his teenage years being two things he’ll never be able to experience like he was supposed to. 

 

He knows his members don’t fault him for it, knows that they won’t ever hold this against him. It’s just that every time they drop by with well-wishes to get better, to check in on him and make sure he’s eating well and resting up, or to tease him with banter for being clumsy and bedridden, it drives the stake of guilt deeper and deeper. 

 

Donghyuck’s really trying to take it like the hyungs have said. They told him it’ll be a good time for him to finally catch up on all the rest he’s missed after such a busy year of promoting. With back-to-back promotions between 127 and Dream, going overseas and coming back again constantly, he can finally get the much needed rest even  _ he _ thinks he deserves. So, it’s not a complete loss to be bedridden. 

 

He can finally play all the games he’s been wanting to try out. He can finally catch up on all the shows he’s missed. He can finally listen to all the releases he missed while promoting his own songs. There’s just one thing that’s preventing him from enjoying the sudden time off.

 

Donghyuck is lonely. 

 

There’s no one to share his excitement with. 

 

Sure, he could text one of the many group chats he has with the other members, or even with his friends and family, but he knows everyone’s busy with practice or their own schedules. Even if they could talk to him about it, replies could be drawn out over hours, maybe even days. He could ask them to come visit him and watch or play with him, but he doesn’t want to deal with another round of nagging or the others treating him like glass because he’s injured; he knows it’s out of care and concern, and he’ll gladly soak up all the attention, but he doesn’t like the feeling of being a burden.

 

He spins his phone between his fingers, then hits the home button and unlocks it. He pulls up his messaging app and scrolls through the messages and chats, before groaning and locking his phone again. Donghyuck repeats this a few times before tossing his phone down on the bed and out of reach. 

 

He regrets that decision when he has to shift his injured leg in order to reach for it again. The cast is a pain to deal with.

 

A movement in his peripheral drags him out of his internal musings, and he looks up at his door only to find nothing there. He waits for a moment before attempting to reach for his phone, only to stop again when there’s movement in the corner of his eye.

 

“Uh. Hello,” Donghyuck calls out questioningly, brows furrowing in confusion. 

 

No one’s supposed to be around right now, and he can hear the dorm auntie shuffling about upstairs. He waits for another moment, then another just to make sure, before shrugging his shoulders and reaching for his phone again.

 

He startles when Jeno peeks his head into the room, and ends up dropping his phone back on the bed - though thankfully, it’s in reach this time. “Yah! Lee Jeno! How long have you been there?!”

 

“Since the beginning of your existential crisis?” The other male flashes him that endearing and infamous eye-smile of his - Donghyuck will deny how it makes his heart skip a beat - and shuffles further into the room. 

 

Donghyuck eyes him suspiciously, not quite sure why the other is visiting him again. Of all the members that visit him, it’s Jeno that seems to be the most frequent. He’s not complaining, he enjoys the company, but if he recalls correctly Jeno’s supposed to be at practice with the other Dream members.

 

“So? What are you doing here?”

 

Jeno ungracefully jumps onto the bed, letting out a grunt when he bounces up, before he’s crawling higher up on the bed and flopping down across Donghyuck’s legs. His limbs are sprawled out as he starfishes the bed, but he’s careful not to rest his weight too much on Donghyuck’s injured leg. 

 

“I got out of practice early,” he answers, though it doesn’t actually answer Donghyuck’s question. 

 

Donghyuck’s resting at the 127 dorm when he’s not at home because he’ll be far too tempted to join the other Dreamies in their antics and fun if he slept at the Dream dorm, so it really doesn’t explain why Jeno’s here at the 127 dorm with him. 

 

Jeno lets out a quiet hum when Donghyuck’s fingers thread through his hair and moves to wrap his arms around Donghyuck’s middle instead. “The others are still in practice so it’s just you and me,  _ unfortunately _ .”

 

Donghyuck scoffs at that but he appreciates the company. He shifts his legs slightly and Jeno takes that moment to roll off his legs to lay next to them instead. Donghyuck pokes his check, glaring. 

 

“That doesn’t answer my question, Jen.”

 

Jeno swats away the offending hand and hides his face in his own hands instead, murmuring into his palms. 

 

“What,” Donghyuck deadpans, gently tugging at Jeno’s hair to get him to repeat himself.

 

Jeno drops his hands, grinning brightly up at Donghyuck - who will deny the way his heart skips a beat a second time - before sitting up in a rush. “Do you want to play a game with me?”

 

“Sure? But I don’t think that’s what you-” Jeno cuts him off with a loud whoop, and Donghyuck can’t help the way his eyes roll at the action. 

 

They both grab their phones - Donghyuck’s from under Jeno’s butt and Jeno’s from his pocket - before settling against the wall to play. 

 

—

 

A few matches later, Donghyuck settles against Jeno’s frame as his eyes focus on the screen to cover the impulsive other. He can hear Jeno cursing under his breath as he gets knocked down by a good shot from a sniper rifle. 

 

“Are you going to tell me what you actually said,” Donghyuck asks as he’s busy reviving Jeno’s character after the other became too greedy and went after an airdrop that already had two other teams fighting over it. 

 

“Nah,” Jeno replies easily, grinning when he’s successfully revived and taking the few seconds his character needs to heal to press a kiss to the top of Donghyuck’s head. “You already know anyways.”

 

Donghyuck holds a fragment grenade in retaliation, effectively killing the both of them despite Jeno’s panicked protests.

 

—

 

They move on from the game after getting second place for the third time in a row, hours after their first game. Instead, they both settle against the bed to watch a movie on Donghyuck’s laptop with Jeno spooning him from behind. He’s careful not to jostle their legs too much, knowing that Donghyuck isn’t fond of the cast and dislikes how it makes him feel like a prisoner. 

 

“I miss you,” Jeno says during a lull in the movie, against the top of Donghyuck’s head. It’s the words he said earlier, the ones he playfully wouldn’t repeat just to tease the other; despite Donghyuck knowing already, like the other had said, it means much more to hear the sentiment clearly now. “So much. It’s not the same without you there.”

 

If Donghyuck sheds a few tears then, Jeno doesn’t say anything. Instead, he feels the arms tightening around him and pulling him closer to Jeno’s chest. 

 

For now, the loneliness dissipates.

**Author's Note:**

> Written by Tokki; Edited by Star.
> 
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/StarTokkiAo3)


End file.
